Sharon Epperson

CNBC Senior Personal Finance Correspondent

As CNBC's senior personal finance correspondent, Sharon Epperson covers the many facets of how people manage, grow and protect their money. Her expertise includes saving and investing for retirement, paying for college, managing mortgage, student loan, credit card and other debt, and building a financial legacy through estate planning.

Epperson was named one of the "Best Personal Finance Experts of 2014." In addition to reporting for CNBC and CNBC Digital, she hosts the weekly original CNBC Digital video program, "Retire Well", which is CNBC's top-performing digital show. She also appears regularly on the syndicated program On the Money and Public Television's Nightly Business Report. Both shows are produced by CNBC. Epperson is also a regular contributor on NBC's Today, NBC Nightly News, MSNBC and NBC affiliates nationwide.

Her personal finance expertise has been featured in numerous publications, including The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, USA Weekend, Self, Essence, Ebony and TIME, where she had covered business, culture, social issues and health as a correspondent prior to joining CNBC.

She is the winner of the Alliance for Women in Media's 2014 Gracie Award for Outstanding Online Host for her "Financial Advisor Playbook" video series on CNBC.com. She has received the Vanguard Award for her distinguished career in business and personal finance reporting from the National Urban League Guild, and the All-Star Award from the Association of Women in Communications. She also has won awards from the New York Festivals, the New York Association of Black Journalists and the National Association of Black Journalists.

She is committed to improving financial literacy, particularly in underserved communities. She has been invited to the White House to speak about financial literacy and to moderate a public meeting of the President's Advisory Council on Financial Capability at the U.S. Treasury Department. She also speaks frequently at conferences and events for local and national organizations, colleges and universities about many facets of personal finance.

She is an adjunct professor at Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism and School of International and Public Affairs. She also enjoys teaching the importance of budgeting and building long-term savings as part of her courses for graduate students interested in media careers.

Epperson received her bachelor's in sociology and government from Harvard University and a master's of international affairs degree from Columbia University. A Pittsburgh native, Epperson lives with her husband and two children in Westchester County, N.Y.